Golfer plays Aussies

It's easy to assume that Kyle Parker won't soon forget the summer between his junior and senior years of high school.

After all, the soon-to-be senior spent seven days in Australia and three days in Hawaii as part of the International Sports Specialists, Inc.'s Down Under Golf Tournaments in the 22nd annual Down Under Games.

Parker was one of about 30 teenagers who represented the United States in the golf tournament.

"I'm really glad I went," Parker said. "It was a lot of fun."

The first day they were in Australia the Americans were paired up with two Aussies for a four-person noncompetitive scramble at the Emerald Lakes Golf Course.

The following day was the All American Tournament, in which Parker tied for fifth place. It was a 36-hole, one-day tournament and Parker shot a 78 on the first 18 and a 79 on the second.

"It was a long day," Parker said. "It was their winter, so the days were shorter. We played from 8 to 4 and it takes that long to play 36 holes, so it was just non-stop."

Next up on the agenda was a U.S. vs. Australia tournament.

"We got our butts kicked. They are really good," Parker said of the Australian competition. "They were all really young too, like 13 and 14, and we were all 17 and 18."

That tournament, as well as the All-American Tournament, was held at the Robina Woods Golf Course.

"It was a really difficult course," Galbraith said. "It was very narrow and there was lots of water."

In between matches, the players were given free time to explore the foreign continent, which Parker said wasn't too different from America.

"They drove on the other side of the road. That took a little while to get used to," Parker said. "Everything is more expensive there too. A lot more expensive. For example, a McChicken here is $1 and over there it is about $3.50 in American (dollars)."

Parker said that the greatest challenge he had with the foreign land was converting the measurements on the course from meters to yards.

It was Australia's wildlife that Parker found the most unique. Some of the golfers visited the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where a saltwater crocodile lives, which Parker estimated to be about 25 feet long and 4 feet wide.

"It was the scariest thing I've ever seen," Parker said. "It could've swallowed me whole in one bite."

He said he was also surprised by the number of kangaroos that were hanging around all over the area outside of the city and said it was similar to looking out at fields of deer in Bigfork. Also, oddly enough, he found some familiarity in the Outback, which he did not expect.

"It wasn't like I pictured it," Parker said. "I thought it would be a desert with the red rocks like in the movies, but it wasn't like that at all. It was more like a mountainous forest, similar to Glacier (National Park), but not as cool."

Following their time in Australia, the group headed to Hawaii for a three-day retreat. There they snorkeled, swam, toured Pearl Harbor and attended at luau, which Parker said was his favorite part of the Hawaii trip.

"That was the best thing. The food was really good and my favorite part was the torch-throwing guy," Parker said. "That was insane to watch. He was a huge guy and it was unbelievable how quick he was."

The group got in a round of golf while in Hawaii as well on the nation's toughest golf course — Ko'olau Golf Club on Oahu. It is considered the third most difficult course in the world.

"That was interesting," Parker said. "I shot an 89, which I was pretty happy with. Its 7,300 yards and the slope was 153 and the highest the USGA (United States Golf Association) allows is 155. Eagle Bend is 138."

Parker said that the course had a lot of long par-5s and the average par-3 was 3,240 yards.

"You had to hit it perfect, otherwise you were dropping them in," Parker said. "The entire course was fairway to jungle. You lose a lot of golf balls if you don't hit it straight."